Are Marvel films the cinematic equivalent of an amusement ride, rather than anything resembling art? Martin Scorsese seems to think so. The legendary director of Casino and Goodfellas had the following to say about the MCU while promoting his latest film, “The Irishman,” which debuts in theaters and Netflix next month:
“I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema,” Scorsese told Empire magazine about the Marvel movies. “Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
Scorsese’s comments have triggered both Marvel fans and the company’s filmmaking talent. Guardian of the Galaxy director James Gunn, for one, took to Twitter to express his disappointment at what one of his “5 favorite living filmmakers” thought of his work. Others, such as Doctor Strange scribe C. Robert Cargill, labeled them “unjust and cynical.”